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Jan Beekman

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jan Beekman (born 1929) is a Belgian-born American painter.[1] He is the founder of Beekman Foundation.

Early life and education

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Jan Beekman was born in Meise, Belgium, in 1929.[2] He received formal art education at the Académie Royale des Beaux-Arts in Brussels, where he studied painting.[2]

Career

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Beekman began his career as a scenographer, first working for the drama division of Belgium's national television station, BRT.[2] Later, he worked with several major theaters in Brussels and Flanders, including the Koninklijke Vlaamse Schouwburg and Beursschouwburg in Brussels, as well as the Arcatheater and Nationaal Theater Gent in Ghent.[2]

In the 1960s, Beekman began exhibiting his work, notably at the Galerie Zodiaque in Brussels and in exhibitions organized by the Flemish constructivist group G-58.[2] In the 1970s, he decided to leave scenography to focus primarily on painting and teaching.[2] During this period, his paintings and drawings were exhibited in neighboring countries, including the Netherlands, Germany, and England.[2] His early artworks were predominantly abstract and characterized by a darker color palette.[2]

In the early 1980s, Beekman moved from Belgium to the United States and in 1982 became the artist-in-residence at the University of Michigan.[3] After relocating to the U.S., Beekman spent a major period living and working in Chicago.[4] During the 1980s and early 1990s, he frequently traveled across the American Southwest, an experience that influenced his artwork.[5] Landscapes such as the Grand Canyon and other desert terrains became central subjects in his work.[6]

After the 1980s, Beekman produced few works featuring human figures, despite his early training in portraiture. One notable exception is his painting The Liberation of Nelson Mandela, completed in 1990.[2] In 1991, Beekman presented an exhibition titled Undiscoverings at the Fermilab Art Gallery in Illinois.[7] In 1994, the Provincial Museum of Modern Art (PMMK) in Ostend, Belgium, now part of Mu.ZEE, hosted an exhibition of his work.[8] In 1996, the Belgian government selected this painting as an official gift to the United Nations.[9] It was unveiled at the UN Headquarters in New York, where it remains on permanent display.[10][3]

In 1997, the year he became a U.S. citizen, Beekman moved to rural southeastern Connecticut.[2][11] In New England, his artwork found inspiration in the local forests, seasonal changes, and the natural environment.[11][4] A notable exhibition from this period, Inside the Natural World of Jan Beekman, was held at the Lyman Allyn Art Museum in New London, Connecticut, from 2014 to 2015.[11][4]

In 2006, Beekman established the Beekman Foundation in Belgium to manage and archive his body of work.[12] The foundation has offices in Belgium and the United States. It operates a contemporary arts center in Veurne, Flanders that houses a Jan Beekman Permanent Collection of his paintings.[3][13]

References

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  1. ^ "PAINTER`S STYLE HAS A CLEVER FOCUS". Chicago Tribune. February 5, 1987.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Jan Beekman".
  3. ^ a b c "Portrayal of Mandela, Liberated (Published 2007)". March 25, 2007.
  4. ^ a b c "Belgian Artist At Lyman Allyn". July 14, 2014.
  5. ^ "BEEKMAN`S PLACE". Chicago Tribune. November 23, 1989.
  6. ^ "Grand Canyon – Chicago Period".
  7. ^ "Fermilab | History and Archives | Art and Architecture". history.fnal.gov.
  8. ^ "Jan Beekman". Mu.ZEE. October 23, 1994.
  9. ^ "The Liberation of Nelson Mandela | United Nations Gifts". UN.org.
  10. ^ "Portrait of Mr Mandela by Jan Beekman, a Flemish artist was gifted to the United Nations by the Belgium Mission". NMF Archive.
  11. ^ a b c Marsie, Rebecca (February 19, 2014). "Inside the Natural World of Jan Beekman - Lyman Allyn Art Museum". Lyman Allyn Art Museum.
  12. ^ "Beekman Foundation".
  13. ^ "Alexandra Piras at Beekman Foundation".